Wooohooooeeeeee got the Classic next week! Who’s gonna win? Anybody. Seriously. All dang good fishermen, conditions ain’t optimal (levels the field more — allegedly) and are different in the system, couple different bass species, far as I know Ott DeFoe’s aluminum rig is still banned so…. Also no truth to the rumor that the BPT guys have a side pot for who catches the most….

>> If you’re getting the BassBlaster for the first time it’s cuz a bud signed you up!

> Card said 20-lb smallmouth limits are possible at either [lake] as long as weather allows.

> Mark Menendez…said the biggest decision will be whether an angler wants to catch a lot of smallmouth at Tellico or hope for an occasional monster smallmouth at Fort Loudoun.

> “Loudoun has a good population of 4- and 5-lb smallmouth, and those are going to play big in the Classic. It’s easier to catch a 5-lb smallmouth on Loudon than a 5-lb largemouth, but there are more largemouth.”

Crazy! Can’t wait to see what happens….

“…has the flavor of riding in a limo to a big party with your wife on one side of you and a girlfriend on the other.”

Serious for a sec tho: Some peeps will try and make this the Elites against the BPTs. Nah. It’s a tournament. THE Classic. Whoever wins it deserves it, and it’ll be stellar like it always is — or usually is (heehee!). My 2c….

Is this a kill switch?

Vexus is revealing its fiberglass boat(s) at the Classic, and is letting some tiddy bits out in advance of the big reveal. Gotta say — has to be the biggest new-brand boat intro in a while. They told me it’ll set a new bar overall and with individual features so…will it be the Ferrari of glass boats? I don’t know but they also posted this:

Dang, reconsidering gettin’ me the tin/glass hybrid Vexus…but I know I won’t be able to afford the glass deal….

News

> …with 2 tournaments in the rearview mirror I believe the shakeup was good for us all. Professional fishing is no different than any other profession or career in that things become status quo and stagnant. Most of the time it takes a big event or shakeup to bring about change, and change it has.

> I’ve kind of learned that I just need to show up and try to get on the pattern that’s current that week, and not rely on scouting and pre-practicing, or how I’d like to catch them, or what they were doing 2 months ago.

> I’ve really gotten confident in my ability to just show up and get on a pattern or something that’s happening currently, rather than visiting the lakes before the off-limits.

> “It’s one thing to visit to learn how to navigate, and I’ll sometimes still do that, but just showing up and not really thinking too much ahead of time has really helped me. I’m taking a similar approach for this Classic.”

> …you just need to adapt to the conditions at hand quicker than in other events. I’m always looking for new fish now. …It’s like practicing everyday.

Also said:

> My 2 basic baits over the first event were a 6″ YUM Dinger with a lightweight Texas rig or the same bait wacky-rigged. That was on Toho. On Conroe, I flipped and pitched a 4.25″ YUM Bad Mamma. It’s a very skippable bait.

> “Looking at the history of it, the guys who seem to have the most success — Greg Hackney, Kevin VanDam, and Bobby Lane — they just do their own thing. They have not changed their style to fit MLF and that’s why they are the most successful.”

> Still has adjustable tail but the Jr has a new 1-piece screw-lock system inside the tail — helps with fish biting off tail or maybe losing a tail from a braid backlash. [The full-size ToadRunner is transitioning to the screw-lock.]

Of course, smaller frog = more bites. BOOYAH guys have told me the sound makes the bait sound bigger than what it really is, which is interesting.

The full-size ToadRunner was specifically designed by Jason Christie and BOOYAH to catch the biggest fish around.

Head BOOYAH feeshn nut Chad “C-Dawg” Warner says to fish the TR Jr on a 7′ to 7′ 6″ H rod with a fast tip, and braid maybe as low as 30-lb, whatever you’re comfortable with.

Long-term weather forecasts are always so spot on so add a few lbs of salt to this:

> Because the planet’s poles are warming faster than the tropics, the difference in temperature between these 2 climate zones is becoming smaller. This leads to an expanding subtropical, arid region. This subtropical zone is pushing into Mediterranean climates…causing total precipitation in these places to decrease.

Some Cali-specific stuff — and right now it sounds like CA’s snow pack is good:

> CA is defying this trend — it’s annual average precipitation is expected to remain about the same…. But the intensity of rain is expected to increase, meaning more will fall in less time.

> As temperatures warm, the atmosphere holds more water. So while CA’s overall dry season will lengthen…its winter atmospheric rivers will dump more water than before.

Tip of the Day

> In most lakes there’ll be a better minnow bite than there will be a crawfish bite. That basically means that you’ll be looking for a depression or steep drop somewhere near the main lake channel.

> But that doesn’t mean that you’ll be fishing deep. Sometimes this late in the winter they move surprisingly shallow, but they’ll still be near the main lake channel.

> As a general rule their depth will be determined by water color and temperature. When the water is 50 degrees or warmer and has a little color to it they tend of move shallow. When the water’s colder and clear they’ll typically be found deeper.

[Wait — 50-degree water is WINTER? Would love to live where Mullins lives lol.]

> I usually start with a 3″ Scottsboro Tackle swimbait. It’s got the right action for colder water, and it’ll produce at almost any depth. Swim it along the bottom with spinning tackle on a 1/4-ounce head for the most success. I go with the smallest size because it seems like that’s what they’re feeding on at this time of the year. They seem to shy away from bigger lures.

> Another one of my choices is the Doomsday Tackle C-Shad, 3.2″ long. I use this one when the bass are schooled and a vertical presentation is the thing.

> My 3rd choice is an old-fashioned Storm Wiggle Wart. Those things have been around forever, and there’s a reason for that — they flat out catch them. I prefer the 2″ size.

Quote of the Day

“The stench of fiberglass resin brought to mind being in a bass boat….”

Shot of the Day

Random

Actually if I read it right, he paid $20K for 20 shrimp and ended up making money on the deal, by selling the fry for $100 apiece. Who knew.

Here’s what such shrimp look like — guess they’re in tanks without fish cuz, like bubblegum worms, they don’t exactly blend in:

Ya got me

Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a daily-ish roundup

of the best, worst and funniest in bassin’, as curated by me — Jay Kumar. I started BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a bunch more in bassin’. The Blaster is the #2 daily read on any given day in the wide world o’ bass so thanks for readin’!

The best, worst and funniest in bassin'! Jay Kumar is the guy who created BassFan.com, co-hosted Loudmouth Bass with Zona, was a B.A.S.S. senior writer and a whole lot more in bassin™. Make sure you sign up for the BassBlaster email!